Cuttingadventures

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Hawaii 70.3 hot hot hot

I'm always a bit nervous before these triathlons, but spending the weekend with friends helped eased the tension. Here we are at the packet pickup on Thursday evening.

The Vegas gals and Linsey appear to be calm cool and collected after picking up race numbers. Next stop - dinner!

After dinner we took care of our bikes.

Friday was a busy day. We had lots of errands to run, plus get in some last minute exercise. Jayne and I also did some recon as to where the bike to run transition was located and where the finish line would be set up. I wanted to verify how the last half mile of the run would look like and exactly where the finish line was located.
We still needed to make time for a quick swim to feel the current and wave action. The buoys were already set, and Tina and Jayne observed that there were no large fins to be seen, but found the course to be a tad long.

This race was the first half ironman for Linsey. Even though she had no idea what to expect, I knew she was going to finish well. She placed 5th. in her age group and broke 6 hours. Wow!! Here she is looking rather stylish race morning, getting psyched while listening to her i-pod, and waiting patiently for the rest of the gang to get out the door! Let's go ladies!

Lisa worked on the computer right up to the last minute, while I adorned Tina with a pretty flower tatoo.

Surprise !!!

Race Morining Group Photo Op! Girls are looking ready to race.

The waters are looking great. The swim is going to be fun.

Pre-race transition set up and prep is a bit daunting. We were oblivious to Jayne taking photos.

I think Tina was looking for her lap-top. Tina is relaxed for her day of training with full support, and it's time for Linsey to make her debue.

We are ready to swim, and giving out hugs to our friends. For the start I situated myself to the buoys closest to the beach, which was fine, as I had good line to the first turnaround buoy. I did get bonked in the head by an arm, but quickly brushed it off. The swim was nice, I always found some feet to following, as I bridged up to different packs.

The bike ride was nice. I was a bit hot with my jersey on, but it was how I carried my spare tire, and 2nd. water bottle. Needless to say, putting it on in transition had to of cost me a good minute in transition. With about 10K to go on the bike, Jayne was on the infamous, quad burning hill before we turn onto the Queen K. I was smiling, but my butt muscle was not!!!

I really enjoyed the run. I shared water with different runners. I paced off of different runners, including the owner of Momentum Multi Sports, Le Nyugen. He really encouraged me to keep a strong pace. My goal was to push the last 5K. I've learned the hard way from racing Buffalo Half (3xs). To my surprise, I turned it on and posted a 45 sec. faster split for 3 miles. The first 10 miles was even split. It wasn't blazing fast, but it was smart running. My instructions for Jayne was to locate her with one mile to go, and she was right there taking pictures. It was great to see her. Just before I saw her, I passed a female runner. Sandra, she recognized me, but I didn't realize it was her.

Lisa finishing strong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now it's Miller Time!

Race Venue and Spence and I enjoying the Post - Race party with the Locals.

We were all very happy to have completed the Honu Half.

Linsey and I walked away with Hardware. Nice Koa Wood Bowls!

After all the beers we went to the market and picked up some good steaks and salad, and grilled out by the pool.

The next day we had one last visit to the beach before our plane departed.

One final look at the lava......................

The ride to the airport was a bit cramped. We managed to pack five girls, 2 bike boxes, 2 bikes, 3 very large suitcases, a large wheel case, plus a few lap tops into the minivan. Jayne had shotgun.

At the airport, only a few minutes before boarding the flight to Oahu.

Final Parting Shot ...........................................OAHU

Next 70.3 race??????????? Sometime next year, I vote for going to Mooseman in N.H. As always a thrilling adventure with the pretty Vegas Ladies.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Momentum Crit Series #4

This was the last race of the series. The start time moved to late afternoon, after the Tantalus TT race in the morning. The crit course was a little different than before, and less boring. They added a dog leg type of turn before the start finish line. Some parts of the race was a little wet - which made for sketchy turns and slick painted surfaces.

The tradewinds were blowing as usual, and gusting up to 25mph on the open flightline. We rode into the wind through the start-finish-line. The tail wind on the back side, made for a nice recovery section for the heart rate, but not necessarily for the legs. Still, I was feeling strong - despite racing every weekend for the past month. About 10 minutes into the race, there were a few IT&B guys that were ready to make a get away from the front with the tailwind. I could sense that they were getting bored with the pace. I decided to take that initiative, and give it a go by pushing the pace, not really breaking away, but to make an attempt to string out the riders and wake the field up a bit.

As we approach the water we make a wide sweeping left turn into the wind, then another tight left, then a right, into the wind again. They left me up there through all the turns, until one guy accelerated by me through the start/finish area. I waited for a few guys to go by, and when I saw a wheel I wanted I jumped back into the pack to recover. Russ had thought that I was done after my pull, and I'd be too tired to get back into the group, but I was fine, and managed to stay in the field without struggle. The chemistry of the race seemed to change after all that commotion, and things got more exciting, but no one or no group really got away, at least not for long.

Since this course had three different turns going into the finish - I knew that if I positioned myself well, I'd beat my friend, Spence. pictured above riding next to me. He'll whip my butt any given day, on a straight out TT race, but not this crit race, and not today.

Russ is looking on in the background, as my teammate, John, and I blast through the wind to the finish line. I finished 11th. overall in the men's field.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

12th. Annual Lava Man Triathlon 1.5K/40K/10K

The 12th annual took place on March 29th, 2009. This years’ race drew approximately 800 competitors. http://www.lavamantriathlon.com/
This race draws a wide range of athletes from first timers training with LLS Team in Training program, fast age groupers from all over the U.S. and International waters, as well as top professional triathletes.
Lavaman is a must do race for all triathletes. It’s located on the Big Island of Hawaii in the Waikaloa resort area. The winds are fierce, the heat is a given, and the terrain on the run is a mix between road, lava rocks and sand. I will affirm the after party is indeed as the website advertises, “One of the best.”

Why pass up on taking the short flight over to Kailua-Kona for the Lavaman race experience, even though I’m still tired from the 30+ mile jaunt up Mt. Haleakala, and the state team TT race? I love to race!! Russ and I traveled together, and he is always a good race supporter.

Race morning – what a BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE!!

Upon arriving to the transition area, I was a little surprised that the line for body marking was a mile long, but with an hour until race time, there was nothing to worry about. The volunteers were in full force everywhere. The body marking method used block letter stamps dipped in ink, rather than drawing our numbers.

The race began with a nice swim shaped like an M. The pre-entertainment to demonstrate exactly where we will swim in relation to the buoys was watching a guy on a jet ski taking the course at warp speed. The swim segment had five different waves. Each wave started three minutes apart. My age group 40 & over was the final wave to go. The swim support and volunteers in the ocean was the best I’ve ever seen. They kept a close eye on everyone, and ensured that we maintained a good line in relation to the buoys. The water temperature was perfect. I wish the swim was three times longer to give me a bigger lead over the faster cyclists and runners. I knew that I’d be swimming through the packs that left before us. My main objective was to not get kicked, and try not to swim over anyone. Everything went swimmingly smooth, so after we exited the water we ran about 500 yards to T1 for our bikes.

I quickly buckled my helmet and pulled my bike out of the rack, ran out to the mount line, and jumped on the saddle. Bike strategy was to save some energy for after the turnaround, then attempt to go a bit harder into the head wind. On the way out, I was climbing, and feeling pretty good, when I see a girl fly past me. Wow – she is 7 years older than me, how did she do that? I stayed within myself, rather than trying to race her. The wind always gets stronger later in the day. I felt the gusts slowly build, and bring my speed slower and slower towards the end of the ride. About a mile and a half before we turn off the main road, the wind picked up, and I had to steer my wheel into it, and leaned to the side. I was glad to be approaching Waikaloa Beach Rd., because when we made that left turn, the winds were at our backs. It pushed us our final quarter mile to the next turn into T2.

I hobbled/ran in my sore barefeet to re-rack my bike – zip my Zoots onto my feet and gallop out of transition to start the run. Our course starts out on crushed lava for about 500 or so feet. The next 4 miles we are on the road. I’m feeling okay – but my legs won’t speed up. After the first aid station I’m thinking; this is going to be a long 10K today, and that’s when a younger female passes me. She started 3 minutes ahead of me. Oh jeez. Actually, I recognize her gait – from the Xterra Enduro21K run, where I tried to chase her down. She’s good. I keep up a steady effort, slow and steady. The course goes past the Hilton, and it looks flat, but there is a steady little climb with a head wind. Then a 40 yr. old guy starts to pass me, so I take advantage of him, and sit behind him and draft. That felt good, my heart rate dropped, and I could cruise. We turn left, and I see the older girl that passed me on the bike, coming the other way. She is flying of course. Man, if I could only feel that good!
After the next aid station we make a U turn and start to head down the hill with the tail wind. I’m really trying hard to run as fast as I can, because I know there are two other girls younger than me that will catch me sooner or later before the finish line. I’m not having doubts, I just know they are running faster than me.

I’m so thrilled to know that we only have two miles to go. We meander through the Hilton resort area on the path. I’ve faded from the guy I was drafting off of. Damn, if only the swim was longer……………..I’m looking forward to the finish, but at the same time, I am staying in the moment, and noticing all the people laying around at the resort watching us run by as they are drinking their Mai Tai’s. Yep, those other two youngsters behind me did pass me, but I don’t think they made up overall time on me. After the path, the terrain changes to a spectacular rugged, Xterra like dirt trail on a ledge, with rocks. It was twisty and rolling. I prefer that kind of running to the sand or the road. The trail is short lived, and the path becomes sand, at which point I can hear Russ screaming my name to “GO!!!” I smile to myself, and I do my best to speed up. He yells and yells, and guides my form to pump my arms over the sand to stay strong. He’s my guide to the finish by briefing me that I have 400 yards to run, and he mentions that no one is behind me. That’s nice – to know. I’m elated to see the finishing shoot, and I sink into the sand with every attempt to run. It’s a great feeling knowing that I’ve earned one more race t-shirt and finishers medal. What a great day. 1st. in AG by 11 minutes and 10th. Overall female. Finish time: 2:19:31.